Efficiency in Focus | IDEEA 365: California’s Launchpad for Energy Efficiency Innovation

How it Works
California has long been a laboratory for energy efficiency, testing ideas, technologies, and strategies that ripple across the state and beyond. Among its more imaginative experiments is Innovative Design for Energy Efficiency Applications—aptly dubbed IDEEA 365—a program designed not just to save kilowatts, but to rethink how efficiency can be discovered, tested, and scaled in real-world conditions. Since 2013, IDEEA 365 has offered a year-round, competitive procurement pathway that allows California’s Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) to source novel, market-ready solutions from third-party providers. Unlike traditional program cycles bound by rigid timelines, IDEEA 365 was structured to be nimble—responsive to emerging technologies and evolving market needs.

At its core, IDEEA 365 was built on a simple but powerful premise: encourage creative thinking, accelerate emerging technologies, and deliver cost-effective approaches that traditional utility programs had yet to reach.

Its two-stage “concept-to-proposal” model challenged applicants to move beyond incremental tweaks and envision programs that could transform energy use at scale. First, creators pitch concepts grounded in measurable impact. Then, successful proposals move into a development and implementation stage, refining their ideas into programs ready to hit the ground with defined metrics, budgets, and performance targets. The result: an array of initiatives that bridged technical solutions with behavioral strategies, proving that efficiency isn’t just about equipment—it’s about people, processes, and culture that actually fit the needs of communities.

How it’s Working
This Efficiency in Focus spotlights two programs born from IDEEA 365’s platform, both compelling cases for thinking outside the one-size-fits-all box—and for proving that innovation often begins in unexpected places.

From Classrooms to Kilowatts: Energize Schools
One standout program to emerge from IDEEA 365 is the Energize Schools Subprogram, implemented by Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI) for K–8 schools across the Pacific Gas and Electric Company territory. Energize Schools is a non-resource program: it doesn’t hand out rebates or hardware but instead equips schools with the tools, knowledge, and incentives to implement Proposition 39 energy projects while embedding energy conservation into the classroom experience.

In 2018, Energize Schools leveraged Climate Corps Fellows placed at the Marin County Office of Education and San Rafael City Schools. These fellows acted as project and energy managers, helping schools achieve monetary and energy savings over their ten-month placements. Beyond the numbers, the program transformed students into active participants in energy stewardship—inviting them to see their campuses not just as places of learning, but as living laboratories. Through annual energy conservation competitions—24 schools in the spring, 48 in the fall—students conserved over 144,782 kilowatt-hours (kWh) during the year. Teachers received more than 150 curriculum products, ensuring the lessons extended well beyond the competition and into sustained behavioral change.

Energize Schools demonstrates a compelling truth: efficiency isn’t just installed, it’s inspired. By integrating students, teachers, and local staff into the process, the program created a ripple effect of learning, behavioral change, and measurable savings that extend beyond any single school year.

Industrial Efficiency, One Treasure Hunt at a Time
From classrooms to factories, IDEEA 365’s reach extends into the industrial sector as well. Southern California Edison’s (SCE) Strategic Energy Management (SEM) program, implemented by Cascade Energy, exemplifies this approach. SEM begins with what the program calls a “treasure hunt”: SCE energy specialists, accompanied by company personnel, comb facilities in search of air leaks, idling equipment, or other inefficiencies. These operational oversights, once identified, can translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost savings over the course of a year or more—often from low- or no-cost operational adjustments.

SEM’s true genius lies in its human-centered approach. By engaging employees across all levels of an organization—from executives to maintenance staff—the program cultivates a culture of continuous improvement. “Facilities really hit their stride when they fully engage all employees,” says Richard Hart, senior SEM coach at Cascade Energy. The result is not just immediate savings, but sustainable operational practices that embed efficiency into the fabric of daily work, making energy awareness part of routine decision-making rather than a periodic initiative.

Where Energize Schools leveraged education to cultivate awareness, SEM leverages employee engagement to cultivate ownership—another proof that IDEEA 365’s value isn’t sector-specific; it’s adaptable, scalable, and human-centered.

IDEEA 365 as a Platform for Ideas
What unites these programs is more than energy saved; it’s IDEEA 365 itself. By creating a structured yet flexible pathway for innovation, the program allowed California’s IOUs to test and implement ideas that traditional portfolios might have overlooked. It encouraged calculated risk-taking, rewarded creative problem-solving, and allowed third-party providers to bring forward market-ready solutions that could scale efficiently across diverse customer segments.

The California Public Utilities Commission’s evolution toward full third-party program implementation doesn’t mark an end—it marks a transition. IDEEA 365 was the starting point, the proving ground for concepts that continue to shape the state’s efficiency landscape. Some programs have concluded, but the pathway remains open, inviting new participants to contribute, iterate, and expand the boundaries of what’s possible.

Participation and the Path Forward
For those interested in exploring or contributing to IDEEA 365, all necessary information is centralized at PEPMA’s IDEEA 365 FAQ page. The program continues to operate across all four major California IOUs: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, and San Diego Gas & Electric. By revisiting the types of programs IDEEA 365 has fostered, and by keeping the participation pathway open, California ensures that progress remains not just a concept but a continuous practice—one that combines technology, culture, and creativity to redefine energy efficiency.

Whether it’s a student calculating kWh savings in a classroom or an industrial team hunting down operational leaks, IDEEA 365 proves that innovation thrives where structure meets imagination. With participation still actively open, the next generation of efficiency programs is waiting to be written—by thinkers willing to push boundaries, challenge conventions, and turn ideas into measurable, lasting impact.